The Greatest Thing
by The Phantom
Summary: This fic is set in 1930. The Moulin Rouge comes alive once more to help a pair of young lovers realize something... true love can last till the end of time.


Disclaimer: All characters belong to Baz Luhrman and his writers. However, Lily and Joseph belong to ME! MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! But you can use them if you want… they're nothing special. 

Author's Notes at the end.

The Greatest Thing

            Montmarte. December, 1930.

            The snow swirled around, lightly caressing the faces of the people who wandered the streets. It was cold, but not biting. With the gentle dusting of white, the 'village of sin' looked almost beautiful. 

            Many couples wandered the paths, enjoying the lovely winter weather. But one couple was not happy. Lily and Joseph. 

            "I don't know if you really love me…" she was saying.

            "But darling, of course I do!" he argued back.

            "But what about money?" she pointed out.

            "We don't need money!" he cried. "We have each other!"

            "You always say that… I'm not sure if it's true…"

            "What?"

            "True love. Is it even real?"

            "Of course it is."

            "How do you know?"

            "I… I just do!"

            "Joseph…"

Then they heard the song.

            _'The greatest thing…'_

            Lily looked up suddenly.

            "Joseph, did you hear something?" she asked.

            He listened intently, and then shook his head.

            'You'll ever learn…' 

            "Oh you must have heard it that time!" she exclaimed.

            "Sorry darling, I just don't-"

            'The greatest thing…' 

            Joseph stood dead still, yanking Lily to a halt as well.

            "What is that?"

            'You'll ever learn…' 

            "Sounds like someone singing." Lily hissed, rather frightened.

            They stood there, frozen like statues, straining their ears. They were rewarded.__

_            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'_

            "Let's follow it!" Joseph cried, suddenly inspired.

            "Joe!" Lily yelped as he dragged her down the street.

            They ran through the snow, following the haunting tune.

            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…' 

            At last, they raced around a corner…

            In all its' glory, a giant windmill towered before them. The great arms stretched to the heavens, shouting of days long past. Nearby stood a proud, ornate elephant. A wall surrounded it, the doors heavy and closed, apparently for years. And the song reached a wild crescendo…

            'The greatest thing…' 

_            'The greatest thing…'_

_            'You'll ever learn…'_

_            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'_

_            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'_

            They stood transfixed before it, listening to the words. Joseph stepped forward cautiously. Frantically, Lily grabbed his arm.

            "Joe, what are you doing?!"

            He shrugged. 

            "I'm going in." he replied.

            "But what if someone gets mad?"

            "Darling, this place has been abandoned for years. It's fine."

            With that assurance, he moved forward and gripped the door handle firmly. He pulled. Nothing.

            "See, they're locked. Let's go…" Lily whined, feeling nervous.

            Even as she spoke, the doors swung open, groaning after all the years of standing still.

            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…' 

            Grasping his girl's hand firmly, Joseph entered the courtyard. 

            The sign seemed to flicker faintly, although it could have been the moonlight. 

            'MOULIN ROUGE'

            "Oh…" Lily murmured. "I read about this place once…"

            Before she had any more time to ponder, she was pulled along. They reached the second set of doors leading into the main building. These opened more easily.

            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…' 

            "Oh…  my… goodness…" the girl breathed.

            They stood in a grand dance hall, the ceiling reaching up into forever. Tables and booths lined the wall, and the place was faintly lit. The voice had stopped. They were about to speak, to notice this, when they became suddenly aware…

            "Joe," Lily hissed. "We're not alone…"

            It was true. There were people around, standing and talking, some dancing, all at the far end of the hall.

            "Let's go…" Joseph said softly.

            They turned, starting to leave, but someone stood in their path.

            "Don't go, dear ones."

            They stopped so fast they almost fell over backwards. A smallish man with abnormally short legs stood before them, leaning on a cane. He sported a neat black mustache and beard, and his hair was very short. A tiny pair of spectacles perched on his nose.

            "Hello, children." He spoke, a lisp twisting his high-pitched voice slightly. "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge." 

            Joseph nodded a little, rather shocked. 

            "I'm s-sorry," he stammered. "We didn't mean to intrude…"

            The dwarf laughed.

            "Nonsense, nonsense. Please, join us."

            He moved forward and deftly took Lily's hand.

            _"Bonsoir, ma belle." _

            And he kissed her hand gently. She giggled, quite charmed. Smiling at her, he led her over to the others.

            There was a very tall man with dark hair, a curly black mustache and neatly trimmed goatee. A man with bright red hair, comical mustache and beard, wearing a snappy showman's suit was with him. An older man with an impossibly thick beard stood next to a completely bald fellow wearing glasses. Many girls in flashy dresses were also present, and several brightly dressed guys as well. 

            "Wow…" Lily said. "We thought this place was empty."

            "Indeed not!" the red-haired man chuckled. 

            "We are… most usually here." The bald man supplied.

            Suddenly, he tilted his head and listened.

            "They're coming." He announced.

            "Finally." Someone said.

            The bald man then scurried over to a piano and began to play. They all moved to the sides respectfully, as if preparing for something. The dwarf tugged on the young lovers' hands. 

            "Come over here, please." 

            They followed, rather confused. But then they heard a voice like silver drift through the air…

            'Never knew I could feel like this… 

            _Like I've never seen the sky before._

_            Want to vanish inside your kiss…_

_            Every day I love you more and more.'_

            A young man appeared at one end of the hall, moving slowly towards the center. His dark hair fell into his eyes alluringly, and he moved with grace and poise. He was singing.

            'Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing             Telling me to give you everything!             Seasons may change winter to spring 

_            But I love you_

            Until the end of time…' 

            Joe and Lily looked around, trying to gauge a response from these other people watching. But none of them seemed to notice the two, instead looking at the singer. Some of them were looking up expectantly, and the young man's eyes went up as well. The two were absolutely baffled, until they heard a second voice. A female voice, clear and pure…

            'Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place 

_            Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace…'_

            A beautiful woman was floating down from above. Lily almost screamed, but then saw that she was riding a trapeze that brought her to the ground. Her long red hair cascaded over her shoulders, her skin as white as ivory and her lips as red as roses. And her eyes were such a crystal blue…

            The young man walked under the trapeze and caught her as she slid off, and they sang together…

            'And there's no mountain too high 

_            No river too wide._

_            Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side…'_

            He led her in a dance, and they swept gracefully across the floor. 

            'Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide 

_            But I love you_

_            Until the end of time…'_

            'Come what may…' 

            The two heard that the rest of the people in the hall were singing now.

_            'Come what may…'_ the dancers echoed.

_            'Come what may…'_ the group sang back.

            They moved in now, forming a circle around the two in the middle. The dwarf drifted away from the side of Lily, moving to join the rest.

            _'Come what may…'_

            'Come what may…'             'I will love you… until the end… of… time…' 

            The beautiful woman and handsome man embraced, and then kissed passionately.

            The dwarf moved forward on his cane to greet them.

            "We were waiting for you!" He said, giving the man a swat on the arm.

            The man laughed and patted him on the head. The fellow in the showman suit walked over.

            "What took you so long?" he asked, poking the boy in the shoulder.

            The pair looked at each other and shared a secret smile.

            "None of your business, Harry." The girl purred.

            "Ah, ah, ah." The dwarf shushed her. "We have guests."

            All eyes swung to them. Joseph and Lily suddenly felt very awkward, like they were spying on something very private. They watched as the girl bent over to allow the dwarf to whisper in her ear. A knowing smile spread across her face, and grabbing the young man's arm she drifted over to them.

            "Hello." She said. And that was all.

            Meanwhile, the red-haired man had also heard something from the dwarf. 

            "You little clown!" he steamed, although he seemed more upset than angry. "What do you mean by inviting them here?"

            "Sorry…" the dwarf murmured. "I just wanted to help…"

            "Harold." The handsome young man went over. "I think it's fine. Why not? They're in love."

            At the word 'love', the beautiful woman drifted back to his arms. Lily glanced at Joseph, feeling a bit ashamed of the earlier argument. The upset man calmed and smiled again.

            "Love." He echoed. "After all, isn't that what we're here for?"

            The dwarf smiled and sang softly…

            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…' 

            "You!" Joe and Lily cried at the same time, and he nodded with a mysterious smile.

            "Love can last forever." He nodded at everyone. 

            _'Come what may…'_ the pair sang.

            The world seemed to be spinning. Joe shook his head to clear it.

            "Wait. Who are you? This place has been abandoned for years!" he cried.

            They all exchanged glances. The woman spoke.

            "That doesn't matter." She said, smiling at them. "Have you learned anything?"

            The two looked at each other for a moment.

            "What do you mean…?" Lily said slowly.

_            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'_ the dwarf supplied.

            "But you haven't even told us what that is yet!" Joseph said crossly.

            "We showed you." The handsome young man said.

            He moved towards the beautiful woman, who laughed, a sound like a clear bell. 

            'I will love you 

            _Until the end of time!'_

            "Love?" Lily guessed.

            They all nodded as one.

            "True love?" Joe asked hopefully.

            The dwarf grinned at them.

            "Of course! Of course it's real! Look!"

            He pointed with his cane at the pair. They were blissfully lost in an embrace, oblivious to everyone else for the moment.

            "The spirit of love…is truth. Truth, beauty, and freedom. Love embodies it all." The dwarf explained. "And it lasts till the end of time."

            Lily and Joe glanced at each other. 

            "Joe…" she began slowly. "I'm sorry."

            "I love you, Lily."

            "I love you too…"

            They kissed. And even as they did, the air began to pulse around them. The world seemed to fade.

            "What's happening?" Lily cried, clinging to Joe.

            "Never stop believing in true love!" the beautiful pair sang out.

            And suddenly, they were standing in an empty theater. It was old, and had been alone and vacant for decades. A few forgotten gloves gathered dust in the seats, and the stage was covered with thousands of red and white rose petals, dried and crumbling from age. They stood in the center aisle, looking around in dead silence. There was nobody there. 

            "H-hello?" Joe whispered, quaking.

            _'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'_

            The two clung to each other as the voice echoed away. Their heads slowly turned until their eyes met. The words remained unspoken, although both understood and knew what had happened. 

            They stood like that for what seemed an eternity, until Joseph moved at last. Disentangling himself from her, he stood in front of her for a moment. Then suddenly, he got down on one knee while retrieving something from his pocket. A ring.

            "Lily…" he whispered. "Will you marry me?"

            And as she threw herself into his arms, the answer echoed around them…

_            'The greatest thing you'll ever learn… is just to love, and be loved in return.'_

            ~The End

Author's Notes: Yes, I know, kind of weird, oh well. :) Did you like it? And were you confused by anything? If so, let me know! (rhyme-y…) Please review. Reviews make my day. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. :)


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